STEW'S PREVIEWS
MIDDLESBROUGH v DERBY
Stewart Flaherty, 20 Oct 2009
BORO EYE VIEW
I do not like the phrase 'a no win situation' when your team is expected to get the
three points, but I will buy the 'MUST win game' tag and apply it firmly to this
fixture.
Gareth is astute in his interviews and gives an accurate picture of the
situation when it comes to the crowd and reasons for under performing at times but,
here is the bottom line..NOBODY CARES! Middlesbrough have the ability to play well
when the crowd actively roots for the opposition (see away record) so let us get it
together at home even if the crowd does turn, frankly, it is a mental toughness that
we need.
If the players are too young to do this then we better simply stop talking
about promotion as it will not happen. This is a results game, and Boro need this
result to keep this season on track. Derby have not won away from home and are
conceding over two goals a game. They must not be allowed to pick up their first on the road
win here.
Column Continues Below...
Bernie Slaven put it quite well when describing the situation, one which he has
personally experienced. Slaven, said: " I know that as a player if you are booed as you come off
after a game where you have really tried hard but it hasn't quite gone right that
you do resent it and you do talk in the dressing room. You do! Some, like me get
fired up and think 'stuff you' and go and score in the next game to prove a point
but others let it get to them and heads go down or they can stop busting a gut."
In our glory days, a lot of fans, while respecting Bernie's achievements, thought Boro
had moved above the level he played at and he was unqualified to comment on word
class players (think Ravanelli, Boksic etc). That is no longer the case. We are
currently at a level where Bernie excelled and, in fact, did better than many of the
current squad ever will. Therefore I certainly believe that he has a point on this one.
When it comes to our home games the only thing I take issue with is the belief that
teams are coming here and scoring from their only chance then Boro pound away only
to fall short. I have researched this and it is not always the case.
Every 90 minute game has ebbs and flows in momentum and if we do not finish our chances we
cannot complain about their style. It is also worth noting that if every team that
visits the Riverside is not even trying to score why are they doing it more than
us?!
Further to that point, Sheffield United, Doncaster, and Ipswich all came here
and had more shots than we did, so I do not think teams are quite as intimidated as
we perceive. The more we lose at home, the more teams will bring confidence here
with them. We have certainly failed to use our 'ex-Premier League' status to make
the Riverside a fortress this season.
To make our home form successful, persistence is needed, the ability to bang on the
door relentlessly without slipping at the other end.
Patience and character are needed. We must work our possession and try to drag the opposition out of shape with side to side passing at times, ignoring the grumbles of an impatient crowd craving more direct play. While this can be a cultural battle, it is worth noting that it is one that
Fabio Capello is fighting with England. Why does he get away with it? Easy, he
wins!
Of course, the irony cannot be lost on Boro fans that the discipline and steel we now need
are what Steve McLaren did with such unpopularity, and that the 'New Dawn' promised by
Southgate with his brand of attacking football is apparently dead. Realism
and the desire for experience and fight is setting in, which I see this as a positive thing.
Finally, one also wonders if we do not get three points here, whether the time has come
to switch formation for home games? 3-5-2? 4-3-3? 4-2-3-1?
DERBY EYE VIEW
Derby have not won away all season and are struggling below mid table. It should really
be looked at as a home banker but we have not earned that right and they will know
that and will be coming with the words, I imagine, of a fired up manager in their
ears.
The hecklers have another stick with which to beat Gareth on Tuesday night, in
the shape of the opposition manager. A member of the First Family of Football
management as far as Teessiders are concerned. Gareth has two major flaws in the eyes
of many and Clough Jr. is his opposite in both areas.
1. Gareth was unqualified to take the job in the first place, he should have
served an apprenticeship as a manager at a lower level and gained his
qualifications.
Nigel Clough had a playing career equally as successful as Gareth and, arguably a bigger name, he did not start in a high profile job instead serving 11 years as manager of Burton Albion, racking up 310 career wins. Highlights were winning the Northern Premier League and being promoted to the conference. He also masterminded a 0-0 FA Cup tie with Manchester United, earning a replay at Old Trafford, his experience gave him a good grounding for his first high profile job at
Derby, a club where he follows in the footsteps of his legendary father.
2. Gareth is too nice. When your dad punched Roy Keane as well as fans who
invaded the pitch, genetics must pass on a certain inner steel! Brian Clough was
notorious as not only one of the game's greatest leaders but also as a strict
disciplinarian. Upon his Derby appointment Nigel said "I will embrace his
principles - the same ones that we were brought up on". One more quote from Nigel
should serve as an inspiration to Gareth in his current plight -
"One of Dad's favorite saying's was 'get three points and that will shut everyone up'."
OVERVIEW
Neither side will be brimming with belief. Boro need a strong start to calm the
crowd and Derby have not managed an away win yet. Boro are under more pressure and
badly need a win to avoid ugly scenes in the home crowd.
HEAD TO HEAD
Goalkeepers
Jones keeps the shirt and like the team itself is one error away from the barracking
of the fans. These are not harmonious times right now for Brad or his teammates. Derby bring
Stephen Bywater who is an England Under-21 international and was, at one time, the
youngest keeper to start in the Premier League.
Edge: Derby. Bywater a quality player and potential future England keeper.
Boro Defence v Derby Attack
Wheater and St Ledger show signs of quality but are conceding goals and having bad
spells. I believe it is early days and this is, potentially, a good partnership. The
Boro full backs have the ability to overlap and must use it more at home. If teams
are to sit back, then Bennett and McMahon bombing on can create a two v one wide and
help stretch them.
Rob Hulse is a player some fans (me included) were wanting to see in a Boro shirt
this season. Come Tuesday, he is one many will not enjoy watching. He is a powerful
physical presence and should test the Boro back line to the limit. Experienced goal
getter Paul Dickov is on loan from Leicester and also has the ability to cause us
problems.
Another loan ranger who will be a threat is Everton man James
Vaughan. Vaughan has scored Premier League goals, is the youngest ever Premier
League scorer, and is an England Under-21 international. As a side note, I
personally believe Vaughan and Dickov are both superior goal scoring options to
Caleb Folan and I wonder if Boro made enquiries about them?
Edge: Derby. Plenty of quality and a big threat to put a goal past us.
Midfield
I rate the Boro midfield very highly. I was excited to finally see O'Neil and
Digard together and hope a few games in they can be as dymanic as I see them being able to
be. The worrying fact is that a number of teams have come here with less midfield talent than us in my opinion, buthave held firm, countered effectively and left with the three points.
Is the three v two central mismatch created by them playing five midfielders killing us?
If so, is it time to change the formation? A 3-5-2 will counter it and if we hold possession and
spend the game attacking as we think we can, then a back three should be OK against one
forward.
Is a 4-3-3 a possibility? Concentrating our numbers in the center and
placing emphasis on the fullbacks to provide the width, it is also worth mentioning
this could see Adam Johnson deployed as a left forward.
The last option, 4-2-3-1? Williams and O'Neil could hold and this formation may cover Arca's defensive liability and allow him to be creative, it could also push Johnson and Yeates
further up the field. All these permutations I would be starting to consider if I were
coaching the team, because the talent is certainly there in this department.
If guile and experience without massive creativity is what we are struggling against
at home then it is certainly a bad thing that Robbie Savage is lining up for Derby.
This is a man who is a better player than he is given credit for by many and someone who
will thrive should the atmosphere get niggly and turn against the home team. Is
there a better wind-up merchant in the game?
Derby also have some attacking threats in their midfield with a pair of Scottish internations Gary Teale and Kris Commons. Teale has already netted three goals and Commons provided a number of assists. Championship veteran Lee Croft and Spurs loanee Jake Livermore round out the Derby midfield.
Edge: Boro. The talent is there, but any more dropped points and maybe the roles
and formation should be looked at.
Boro Attack v Derby Defence
Of all the Boro forwards Leroy Lita is starting to look confident to me, his fitness
is back and his strength and pace make him a real handful. Folan has gone, it looks
like, so do we have another potential target for an aerial plan B? We certainly fit
our stereotype of fast and lightweight for long spells up front this season!
Aliadiere should partner Lita again.
Derby got hit for six by Cardiff and the pacy Michael Chopra netting four could be a good
sign for Boro. They have kept two clean sheets since but will have a challenge on
their hands with the Boro front line. Dean Leacock quite frankly had a nightmare in
Derby's Premier League season and his reputation has not recovered since. Boro will
look forward to this match-up I think. Dean Moxey was a star in the lower leagues
and has started twelve games for the Rams so far this season. Swedish international
Fredrik Stoor is on loan from Fulham and gives experience to the back line.
Edge: Boro. A goal must come, bravery and persistence will be the order of the day.
Fans
As sad as it is, the fans are an issue the team need to deal with. If they perform
they will get backing, if they start badly audible discontent will ensure. The
players should accept this and fight through it, it is their only option. The team
had the chance to win the hearts of the town back with a fast start. A number of
slip ups mean we are where we are and the reality is only winning streaks will
silence the masses.
Edge: Derby. I am starting to worry about the emphasis on the crowd in Southgate's
interviews, I agree with all his points, but do we use it as an excuse or take the
Slaven approach previously quoted?
Prediction: WIN. We have our issues, but Derby have more and I believe they field
a poor back four.
